


A Familiar Face

by crueltyland



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, M/M, silly short, sorry its rubbish, written in 15 mins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:36:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9113023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crueltyland/pseuds/crueltyland
Summary: I randomly battered out a quickie, read it if you want.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HiddenKitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenKitty/gifts).



The Boar and Spear was hardly an upper-class joint like Dori had served in.

It was no fancy little tea room, or quiet workroom for nimble fingers and family work.

Nori was not working with his brothers – watching one pour and the other play while he weaved.

No, Nori was looking for a job, and urgently too.

Dori was sick.

He had to bring home the money.

 

-

 

They had begun with the tea shop and the weaving, and at first it was fine.

Their mothers baking always drew in customers, and it all meandered along at a sensible pace.

They never were rich, not like their grandmother had been in Erebor, but they had a little bit put away for emergencies, good food on the table and their health, and that was what mattered.

It mattered right up until their mother announced that she had fallen pregnant.

No, she would not tell who the father was.

No, it was definitely not any of your business Dori who he is, it has nothing to do with you, keep your big beautiful nose out of it.

And yes, she was older than other dams carrying, but a blessing is a blessing at any time of life.

 

But then she was ill during the last month, and weakened as she was, she didn’t survive the birth.

Dori shook as he held the bairn like it was carved from the living stone like one of the first dwarves.

“It’ll need fed,” Nori whispered, still avoiding looking at his own hands for fear of seeing his mothers life blood beneath his fingernails.

“I’ll go for a goat. Just – just stay here.”

Dori didn’t look up from the baby, but nodded and Nori fled.

 

After two months of struggling along, Dori announced that they couldn’t afford it any more, and he was going to the mines.

Nori took his loom to their home, and worked from there, watching little Ori reach for the woven shapes and little glass gems in the mobile above the Moses basket they made for him.

 

Two more months had them coming out of a lean winter.

Both adults had lost too much weight, and Dori had a cough that wouldn’t shift.

“I’ll get a second job,” Nori told him, forcing his brother to eat the last portion of watery stew.

Dori tried to argue, but it started him coughing all over again.

When Nori just smiled and told him that Ori needed to see him more than an hour a day, Dori relented, and Nori went out looking for the best money in the worst places.

 

The miners that Dori had met saw him looking for work and suggested The Boar and Spear and Nori relented after weeks of searching.

He settled in, learning how the uncouth and unmannered dwarrow behaved and trying not to flinch every time one of them patted his arse, pulled his braid or asked how much for a little alone time in the back.

He quickly realised that loosening up his hips into a swaying walk, wearing lighter layers and occasionally keeping his hair loose brought in more money in tips in one night than his wages for a week.

 

His boss was a lovely dam who took no nonsense and rarely asked anything of the workers.

One of the only times was when a part was in, like tonight. Nori had been asked to dress up a bit and leave his hair down, which he did, avoiding the worried looks from his brother, and hopping out the door at sundown.

 

-

 

Dwalin was dreading the night. Not that he didn’t love Vili like a brother, but he dreaded going to work in the morning after what was planned out to be the night to end all nights.

Thorin just rolled his eyes and told him to get his arse to The Boar and Spear with the rest of them, and try to hold his drink.

And no dwarf worth their metal could resist a drinking challenge, even one as weak as that.

 

He spotted him half way through his first ale, and banged a fist on thee table for attention.

The small dwarf sashayed up to the table, flicking waist length flame red hair over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“What can I _do_ for you? Is there something you _want_?” Nori said, fluttering his eyelashes at the hulking mountain of muscles with a crest of hair sticking out of the top of his head, and more tattoos than the server could count.

Dwalin flushed red, right up and over the shaved parts of his head, and the others at the table whooped and howled when he smirked right back and pulled Nori into his lap.

They cheered and jeered when he dared to touch that gorgeous hair, brushing it behind a bejewelled and six-hooped ear, and leant in to whisper.

“Hey gorgeous, I would love you to just stay right there, all night. Or you could go and get us all another round.”

Nori played his part well, arching his back and flushing prettily at the others at the table before letting out a moan as he stood up, running his fine boned fingers over the battle scarred thick ones gripping his hips.

 

-

 

Nori loved that job after the first week and surprised everyone by keeping it for nearly two decades.

He had regulars who liked him, and enough money that Dori was able to get treated, healthy and start selling teas from a stall at the market.

But then there was the fire.

 

Nori reflected on it the next day when Bofur found him staring at the charred remains of the bar top.

“The Maker must be sending me trials.”

The miner wiggled his moustache and led the redhead away, ignoring the tear streaks and shaking, and helped the eldest brother Ri put his friend to bed.

“What happened?” Dori asked, surprised by Nori’s appearance.

Bofur took off his hat, “Looks like someone set a fire. Missus Keran was in bed with the littleuns and didn’t make it out. Tell Nori I'm sorry for his loss when he comes round, eh?”

Dori nodded numbly and showed the Broadbeam out, hoping that his brother would find his way out of grief soon.

 

-

 

Dwalin was chasing the Mahal forsaken thief again.

The past year had been hard on the dwarrow of Erid Luin.

A string of arson attacks, two mine collapses and now a third robbery from the old Blue Mountain nobility.

And that bloody thief was getting away again!

 

Nori ran as fast as his feet could carry him, slipping the bag into the hidden space behind the counter of Doris stall as he ran past.

He ran to the opposite end of the market, down the alley that cut though to the back of the tannery and then -

“Shit!”

 

Dwalin grinned, locking the manacles around slender wrists and ankles and dragging the bloody star-haired dwarf towards the guardhouse.

They didn’t have a real prison, but they did have six four by seven foot cells under the building they used as a guardhouse.

And Dwalin was wearing a scowl by the time they reached their destination.

The thief had dumped the bag somewhere.

Shit.

 

-

 

Nori sat in the cell, calmly, with his legs crossed and his back straight.

They had sent for the only female guard to come and assist, as he had requested.

Not that Dwalin had been happy to accept. He thought it was just another way to stall for time.

But Dosel arrived and took less than a moment to see the problem.

Nori was persuaded to strip while she held up a sheet and Dwalin turned his back.

The clothes were then passed to Dwalin to check, and handed back and he was allowed to redress himself.

“You should get the pins out of his hair,” Dwalin said, glaring at the thief.

Dosel shrugged, “You heard the captain. Take it down.”

 

Nori glared, “Can I have a comb at least? Its a little complicated.”

Dosel handed him one of the plain metal ones they kept for prisoners, and looked away as he took it down from its peaks, dropping braided metal pins and complicated looking beads with latches into the tray provided.

He handed her the tray with a significant look and Dwalin snorted a laugh, “No one is going to steal your beads, thief.”

Nori looked up at him, startled, and nodded, and Dwalin finally recognised him.

 

The female guard left to continue her shift and Dwalin was left alone with Nori once more.

“You know, some people might find it off putting to be watched as they comb their hair. In fact, I know of some places that you have to pay for that kind of show, Captain.”

Nori smirked as the bigger dwarf blushed and cleared his throat, “There’s no way out of here except through the front door. I have your coat, your boots, your beads. Enjoy your _privacy_.”

 

Nori grinned to himself as Dwalin stomped back up the stairs and shook his head in amusement when he heard the door close and lock.

“No other way out? Then why did you call it the front door? Why not just ‘the door’? Stupid hunk of muscle.”

He pulled the pins moulded against his scalp and the nape of his neck and made quick work of the lock, sauntering over to the pile of his belongings and quickly getting dressed.

With a quiet chuckle, he put his hair in one long braid, daubed a little of the dark green powder on his eye lids and folded his coat into a bag.

Quietly, on kid leather soled boots, he crept up the stairs and through the door, easily edging around to the back of the station and out of the back door.

 

Dwalin watched from his position just outside the front door.

No calls for help, no other problems today now that he had caught the thief.

He nodded a greeting as an exotic redhead across the street smiled prettily at him as he walked towards the marketplace.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for [A Hidden Kitty](http://ahiddenkitty.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Apologies for mistakes and stuff but it was really quickly written. Im trying to get back into writing after a long break there, so i hope you like it.


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